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Surrey 'abduction' was hoax, police confirm

Surrey RCMP have confirmed that what looked like an abduction in front of a busy mall was really a hoax.

METRO VANCOUVER -- Surrey RCMP have confirmed that what looked like an abduction in front of a busy mall was really a hoax.

The incident happened Saturday at about 5:50 p.m. at Central City mall. A Mercedes Benz pulled up in front of the Shoppers Drug Market and three men got out. They opened the trunk and two of the men appeared to force the third into the trunk, before driving off.

On Monday evening, a woman called the Surrey RCMP after seeing media coverage of the story. She told police a car matching the suspect vehicle was parked in the 13000-block of 103A Avenue in Surrey.

According to an RCMP press release, police went there and spoke to the registered owner of the vehicle and others, including the supposed victim. All were co-operative and confirmed that it was a hoax.

"Once again the assistance received from the public was crucial in advancing our investigation," said Cpl. Bert Paquet. "Our investigators treated this case as a serious incident from the time we received the call and this ultimately led to its successful conclusion. Unfortunately, the large amount of time and resources spent on this specific case could have been dedicated toward investigating real incidents."